There was never any question what John would do for a living. At age three, when he was about as tall as an up-ended saw, he announced to his parents that he wanted to be a carpenter. As a kid he fashioned wooden guns and horses which he sold to his friends. His ‘hands-on’ approach to his craft has always been a need rather than a choice. John discontinued study for a degree in Architecture to explore and fulfil this need. John does not work with a fixed intellectually based approach. He strives to put as much ‘heart’ into his work as any clever design concept and passionately believes this ingredient is as important to his furniture as is function. The balance of these two is what his clients feel and see in his furniture. Above all, John loves what he does and his furniture speaks for itself.

John’s work is a personal statement – like him, it offers no pretensions. For John cuts no corners. It is what you see, yes, but there is a lot to see. For him a chair, a table, a cabinet are multifaceted – they have a visible side, a face; they also have a hidden aspect. And he goes to great pains to finish apiece evenly, with unmistakable finesse – above and below, top and bottom, inside and outside. His furniture possesses an almost ethereal glow, magnetism rare amongst objects, yet his approach remains as pragmatic and solid as wood itself.

In his own words, good furniture is furniture you can live with. All the theories and all the creativity in the world count for nothing if the chair you are sitting in isn’t functional or comfortable, or if you don’t feel right about the table tomorrow, the day after and the one after that. Furniture should rightfully be at the centre of life. If you can’t live with it, it has failed – no matter how ornamental or fashion conscious.

In fact, John laughs at any suggestion that his art is fashionable – not from any deliberate attempt to be different so much as a simple lack of concern for such things. He is happiest when pleasing his clients – it’s pretty much a case of you’re only as good as your last client says you are. Of course success does not always happen overnight and he is quick to point out that before carving out a niche in the industry, he knew a time when the smell of an oily rag was as vivid an experience for him as anyone else.

As you might expect, John’s workshop is his castle and it was here that I found my senses wooed by the unforgettable aromas of the very finest timbers – silky oak, cedar, silver ash, walnut to name a few. Alongside work in progress and, dormant for the moment, stood the juggernauts of recent technology that John harnesses to make light work of the more routine procedures. – planers, spindle moulders, mortising and tennoning machines, band saws, belt sanders, panel saws and so on. These mechanical assistants are in invaluable for a small operator, as they facilitate production of the volume necessary for a viable business. With the potentially time-consuming nature of these tasks cut to a minimum, John’s skills as a craftsman are free for expression.

Today John is a highly respected Furniture Designer/Craftsman in charge of Kookaburra Furniture Limited. Kookaburra furniture occupies centrestage in many of Sydney’s boardrooms and offices, from Government organisations to prominent businesses, yet it all comes back to basics – John loves the fragrance, the feel of wood. His hands slide along finely polished tabletops and surfaces with the certainty of a surgeon. For him, the smell of a freshly cut Huon Pine is never less than exhilarating. Wood is something to experience – seen, smelt, and touched. Furniture should be tasteful, functional and livable – but it must feel good. If it feels good then John feels he’s done his job.